ENGINEERING TASKS

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 Objectives

• What is the point of studying the links between

logic and engineering tasks?
• Should a computer provide single answers or
choices?
•What is the logical similarity between design and
diagnosis?

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 Outline

Engineering Tasks

Inference

Model of Information and Tasks

Well-defined and Poorly-defined tasks

(Newell 1960)

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 Definitions
Structure (or Form)
Information represented in drawings (dimensions,
location, topography, etc.) as well as properties of
materials and environmental context. The scope of this
definition is not limited to structural engineering!
Behavior
Includes parameters that describe how the structure
reacts (deformations, stresses, buckling, creep, etc.)
Cause
External actions resulting in a change of behavior
Effect
Observed behavior under the influence of the cause
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 Engineering Tasks - Examples
Analysis
Structure/TInfra Behavior

Simulation
Cause + Structure Effect

Diagnosis
Effect + Structure Cause

Synthesis
Required behavior Structure = inference

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 Engineering Tasks (cont’d.)

Experimental Research
or
Interpretation of Information

Structure
+ Behavior models
Behavior

Observe that synthesis is reverse analysis and

diagnosis is reverse simulation
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 Outline

Engineering Tasks

Inference

Model of Information and Tasks

Well-defined and Poorly-defined tasks

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 Inference

Inference is the reasoning involved in drawing

a conclusion or making a logical judgment on
the basis of evidence.

Rule: If cause then effect

Given cause, effect and rule, there are

three types of inference

 Deduction
 Abduction
 Induction

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 Types of Inference

Type of Given Inferred

Inference information information
Deduction Cause and rule Effect
Abduction Effect and rule Cause
Induction Cause and effect Rule

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 Questions

 What types of inference are more likely to have

multiple answers?

 What types of inference are more sensitive to

missing information?

 What types of inference can be associated with the

five engineering tasks discussed earlier?

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 Answers
 What types of inference are more likely to have multiple answers?
Abduction and induction. Their use is reliable only if it assumed
that all possible rules are known
 What types of inference are most sensitive to missing information?
Abduction and induction, since additional information may change
answers
 What types of inference can be associated with the five engineering
tasks discussed earlier?
Analysis and simulation are deduction
Synthesis and diagnosis are abduction
Experimental research and interpretation of data are induction

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 Outline

Engineering Tasks

Inference

Model of Information and Tasks

Well-defined and Poorly-defined tasks

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 Types of Information
Three Categories
 Structure (S)
(dimensions, shapes, properties of materials,
loads, temperature, speed, volume, density
etc.)
 Behavior (B)
(congestion, Level of Service, congestion,
stress, shock wave etc.)
 Function (F)
(design criteria, specifications, desires of
society, purpose, etc.)
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 Types of Information (cont’d.)

It is important to organize project information

appropriately.

Good organization helps make modifications and

additions without introducing update errors.

Modifications and additions always occur in large

engineering projects.

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 Tasks and Types

F Sas-designed

formulation
(standards)

synthesis

Brequired

F = Function transformation
B = Behavior
S = Structure

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 Tasks and Types (cont’d.)

F Sas-designed

formulation
(standards) analysis

synthesis

Brequired traditional Bpredicted

evaluation

F = Function transformation
B = Behavior
comparison
S = Structure

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 Tasks and Types (cont’d.)
construction
F Sas-designed Sas-built

formulation
(standards) analysis

synthesis

Brequired traditional Bpredicted

evaluation

F = Function transformation
B = Behavior
S = Structure comparison

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 Tasks and Types (cont’d.)
construction
F Sas-designed Sas-built

prediction
formulation diagnosis
(standards) analysis

monitoring
synthesis

Brequired traditional Bpredicted Bmeasured

evaluation improvement
of models

F = Function transformation
B = Behavior
comparison
S = Structure
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 Tasks and Types (cont’d.)
The diagram in the previous slide is a representation
of transformations. The iterative aspect is not shown.
For example, if the traditional evaluation task fails,
modifications to either F, Brequired or Sas-designed are carried
out until traditional evaluation succeeds.

Analysis refers only to calculation. Improvements in

analysis may also help the traditional evaluation task.

Creation of numerical models is a synthesis task

(creation of a model of Sas-designed).

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 Tasks and Types (cont’d.)

Some tasks are used to complement information.

For example, synthesis is used to add information

concerning the structure.

It starts with assumptions about the environment in

which the structure will be found.

Some tasks, such as synthesis and diagnosis, may

have more than one possible solution.

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 Question

What inference occurs at each task in the FBS

schema ?

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 Answers
 What inference occurs at each task in the
FBS schema ?
deduction and abduction
F Sas-designed Sas-built

deduction
abduction
abduction
deduction
deduction
abduction

Brequired Bpredicted Bmeasured

deduction induction

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 Outline

Engineering Tasks

Inference

Model of Information and Tasks

Well-defined and Poorly-defined tasks

(Newell 1960)

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 Well-defined Tasks
 Carried out in closed worlds (all information is
known)

and

 Defined by goals explicitly expressed non-

ambiguously by an objective function (for
example, using a mathematical formula)

and

 Described by algorithms that lead to identification

and numerical quantification of a solution

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 Poorly-defined Tasks
 Open world conditions prevail (not all information
is known)
or
 Goals are defined only partially
or
 Definitions of solutions are incomplete
or
 Procedures for obtaining solutions are not known
completely

Engineers are entrusted by society to perform poorly

defined tasks. These tasks usually add the most
value to society.

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 Questions
• What is the point of studying the links between logic
and engineering tasks?
Software requirements are similar for tasks that are
associated with similar types of inference.
• Should a computer provide single answers or
choices?
It depends. Single answers are usually enough for
deductive tasks whereas abductive tasks often require
choices amongst many possibilities.
• What is the logical similarity between design and
diagnosis?
These tasks are both abductive. Therefore they require
similar types of computer support.
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